British immigration in Spain

British citizens in Spain and
Spaniards of British origin
Ciudadanos británicos en España y
españoles de origen británico

Total population
British nationals 262,885 (2020)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Andalusia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands
Languages
English, Spanish
Religion
Anglicanism, Protestantism and Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
Britons

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British migration to Spain has resulted in Spain being home to one of the largest British-born populations outside the United Kingdom in the world, and the largest in Europe. Migration from the UK to Spain has increased rapidly since the late 1990s and the registered population of British nationals in Spain in 2014 was 297,229 (2014).^[2][3] After Brexit, in 2020 British nationals in Spain numbered 262,885.^[1]

In 2014, the officially registered population of British nationals in Spain was 236,669 (2014)^[2] and 107,326 in 2001.^[4]

Vertical bar chart of foreign population of British nationality in Spain between 1998 and 2020

Population (1998–2020) Foreign population in Spain of British nationality according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística.[1]

According to the data collected by the INE, the distribution of Britons in Spain in 2005 was as follows:^[5]

Research has shown that most of the British population in Spain is poorly socially integrated into Spanish society.^[6][7][8] A survey of 340 British migrants in the Province of Málaga, for example, found that one third rarely or never met Spanish people, apart from in shops and restaurants, and that 60 per cent did not speak Spanish well.^[9] A number of initiatives have been launched to improve integration of British migrants into Spanish life, including language course provision. During the Great Recession, some British people in Spain who wanted to return to the UK were unable to do so because of the difficulty of selling property in a depressed local housing market.^[10] Figures published in January 2015 showed that 2,973 British nationals were in receipt of unemployment benefits in Spain, paid by the host country.^[11] In order to receive an unemployment benefit in Spain, a person must be legally unemployed after making unemployment contributions at least 360 days in the last six years and be registered with the employment authorities as available for work.^[12] The unemployment benefit is paid for a minimum of four months and maximum of 24 months, based on the period that the unemployed person has contributed.^[13]

There are multiple British international schools located in Spain. The National Association of British Schools in Spain has 52 member schools.^[14]

• Demographics of Spain
• Spaniards in the United Kingdom
• British diaspora
• Predicted impact of Brexit
• Spain–United Kingdom relations

• O'Reilly, Karen (2000). The British on the Costa Del Sol: Transnational Identities and Local Communities. London: Routledge. ISBN 1-84142-047-6.

• Our work with schools - British Council Spain - About the council's work with British international schools in Spain